“Mia, do you have it?” Bex asked from where she was having her makeup done. It was the kind of thing that they could have done themselves with minimum effort, especially as Faye had long ago perfected the art of applying make-up with magic, but they’d decided against it. Bex had wanted the entire wedding experience, and that meant no magic today at all. Well, other than the love potion that Mia had already slipped Skyler. There was no way she was risking it wearing off in the middle of the wedding. That would just cause a scene.
“Yes.” She opened her bag and pulled out the worn velvet jewellery box she’d put there earlier. She opened it, taking in the long gold chain with a crystal pendant swinging from it. It’d been their grandmother’s, as had the other two that matched it, and would stay in their boxes until the day that Mia and Faye met their other halves. Mia had almost been tempted to forget the trinket, and use that as a sign that Bex shouldn’t be marrying Robert, but the thought of how upset her sister would then be stopped her. And the last thing she wanted to do was upset her on her wedding day. Mia snapped the box shut before handing it to Bex. She was supposed to open it herself, as was tradition according to their Grandma. Bex pressed the latch on the box, and nothing happened. The box didn’t open for her at all, which was odd. Mia hadn’t had any problems with it.
“Why isn’t it opening?” she asked, tearing up ever so slightly as she tried to open the box again.
“I don’t know.”
“You opened it.” She looked up at Mia with unshed tears shining in her eyes.
“Leave us please,” Mia said to the hair and makeup artists that were in the room. They hastily dropped what they were doing, leaving the three sisters alone in the cluttered room. It was unfortunate, but they couldn’t really discuss magic while there were normal humans about.
“What was it that Grandma used to say?” Faye said softly from her seat by the window. Mia glanced over, and was unsurprised to see that her sister had her eyes closed as she soaked up the afternoon sunshine through the glass.
“That they were for us, the blue box was for the first, the green for the second and the red for the third,” Mia cited off. She’d been the closest to their Grandma, and she’d heard the instructions at least a dozen times a week growing up.
“What if it doesn’t mean our birth order?” Faye opened her eyes and looked sympathetically at Bex.
“What else could it mean?” Bex asked.
“Maybe it’s the order we meet our soulmates in,” Faye suggested. She added a shrug as the others looked at her.
“But I met Robert years ago.” Mia said nothing. Neither did Faye, and the silence stretched on until it gained an uncomfortable edge. “Great, so the two of you think that Robert isn’t the one for me?”
“It might not even be that, maybe I just met my soulmate sooner and didn’t realise?” Mia suggested, trying to keep her voice soft and placating. She might not like Robert, but she wanted her sister to be happy. “Maybe it’s just a case of getting the other boxes and trying those?”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Faye said. “Did you bring them?” she asked her. Mia shook her head.
“I didn’t think we’d need them.” Faye grabbed Mia’s arm in a surprisingly firm grip and dragged her away from Bex, who seemed lost in thought.
“We need to get those boxes, she’s not going to accept anything until we do. Where are they?”
“At home.”
“Is there anyone who can go get them?” Mia started to shake her head, before changing her mind.
“Felix,” she said, before she’d even realised whose name she was saying Really, her choice should have been Skyler. He was the man she’d come here with after all. But instead her mind was filled with thoughts of the tall dark and handsome, not to mention shirtless, man from earlier in the day.
“Who the hell is Felix?” Faye demanded.
“The best man.”
“And you know him how?”
“I don’t really,” Mia said, shrugging.
“Hmm.” Faye looked lost in thought. “Fine, go send him then.” It took a moment for the words to register in Mia’s head, but once they did, she began questioning what the hell she’d let herself in for. She had all of ten minutes experience with the man, trusting him in her house wasn’t something she’d imagined possible.
Chapter Four
The last thing Felix expected was to open another knocking door to find the bride’s sister standing on the other side of it. She was a lot more put together than last time, with her dress glittering in the light and her hair nearly pinned. Weirdly, he couldn’t decide which look he actually liked more. They both suited her.
“I think it’s bad luck for you to be here,” he said, leaning against the door frame and giving himself another moment to take her in. She really was beautiful. Not merely sexy or pretty like he normally thought about women either, but drop dead, out of this world gorgeous. He wanted to take her as his own at the same time as hiding her away from the world so no one else could look at her. Which wasn’t normal for a dryad, he’d never heard of any of his kind becoming possessive before.
“No, it would be bad luck if my sister were here and if Robert saw her. I’m just a bridesmaid.”
“One dangerously near the best man,” he muttered and she cocked her head almost as if she’d overheard. But that couldn’t be right. Only a paranormal would be able to hear the volume he’d spoken in, and even then not all of them would.
“Look, I need a favour. It’s for the bride.”
“And I’m just supposed to say yes?” he rose an eyebrow to accompany his question, and she scowled at him, which didn’t take anything away from how she glowed in his eyes.
“Please Felix,” she said, a vulnerability entering her voice that surprised him. He didn’t take her for the kind of woman who just let that kind of emotion show.
“Fine, if it’s for the bride.”
“I need you to go to my house and get the two jewellery boxes that are on the dresser in my bedroom.”
“You want me to go to your house? Into your bedroom? As in, where you sleep?” Even as he asked, his mind went to what other activities she’d get up to in her room. And what they could do there together. Maybe after the wedding he’d see if he could convince her, though he had the feeling that once the two of them started, there would be no end. It wouldn’t be the worst thing really.
“Yes, look I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. But we were given these necklaces by my Grandma and I brought the wrong one because we thought that Bex would be the first...” she trailed off, looking horrified and he had to wonder why.
“The first what?”
“Nothing,” she shot back instantly, convincing him that there was definitely something going on here that wasn’t quite normal.
“Fine. What do they look like?”
“This,” she said. She held out a worn oblong box. “Just please don’t try to open one.” He frowned, that was odd to say the least.
“Why?”
She glanced away, refusing to meet his eyes. “Just, it’s special that Bex is the one that opens it is all.” She finally met his gaze again, and her eyes bore into him. Damn, he was a goner. He’d do anything for this woman and she didn’t even know it.
“Okay, have you got your keys?” She handed them over, along with a slip of paper with her address on. She’d come prepared then, as if she knew he’d cave.The moment that their fingers touched, he felt tingles spread through him, but ignored them. It was just his overactive imagination making her into something that she wasn’t. “I’ll bring them by the Bridal suite when I get back.”
“Thank you.” The words were quiet, but he could tell she genuinely meant them. With a nod, he strode off down the corridor and towards where his car was parked. There were still a couple of hours before the ceremony, but it was probably better that he got a move on and back with the necklaces, they seemed to mean something important to Mia, and he didn’t want to let her down.
The drive didn’t take very long, and he pulled up in front of a tidy house with a white picket fence. Somehow he wasn’t surprised. The house was dark, and it was clear that the owner wasn’t in, and, interestingly enough, the house next door looked the same, except that there was still a truck parked in the driveway making it seem as if there should be. Felix got out of the car, slamming the door shut and fingering the keys that Mia had handed to him. He didn’t know what it was about the situation, but something about it seemed right. He should probably just go with it, sometimes that was the best way when it came to paranormals. He knew that.
He turned the key in the lock and opened the door, taking his first step into the home of the woman who was fast becoming his new obsession. The house was surprisingly tidy, and he found himself wandering through the downstairs rooms until he came to the kitchen. It was large, with an open fire place and cauldron as the central focus, completely at odds with the modern appliances that lined the kitchen sides. Actually, it was completely at odds with just about everything he’d guessed about Mia. Curious, he moved towards the fireplace, noticing that there was open book perched on a table next to. It was clearly old, the hand written looped handwriting only adding to that impression. He read the open page, his eyebrows raising as he did. If he wasn’t mistaken it was a recipe for a love potion, but that would mean…
A wide smile passed over Felix’s face. That meant that Mia was likely to be a witch, which could completely explain the way he was feeling about her. Maybe he’d finally found his one. Or maybe she’d used the love potion on him. His eyes widened and his heart rate quickened as he realised what that could mean, or at least they did until he realised he hadn’t eaten or drunk anything in Mia’s presence. So if not him, then who had she used the love potion on, and why was he feeling this way? So many questions, and he was looking forward to uncovering the answers.
Chapter Five
Mia bit her lip. She hated to admit it, but she was worried about whether or not Felix would manage to bring them the necklaces in time, and even more worried about whether either of the other two boxes would open for Bex. She hoped so, she didn’t want her sister to be disappointed. Which made her wonder. The first box had opened for her, which was weird. She’d have thought that it would open for Faye if it was about who met their mate first. Everyone knew that her and Reese were meant to be together, even if they barely touched in public. She’d have to remember to ask her little sister about that later on. Or maybe she could share the love potion trick with Faye to speed things along a bit. So if the first wasn’t Bex or Faye, that meant that it was her that had met her mate already. Her thoughts strayed to Skyler, with his tanned arms and dark blonde hair. Maybe she’d been too hasty with the love potion, maybe he was already hers anyway. At least that was what the necklace said. Carefully, she withdrew the box from her clutch, not wanting Bex to see and wonder what she was up to. She pressed the catch and was almost surprised to find the box opened for her again. Part of her hadn’t expected it to. The same long gold chain and crystal lay against the worn velvet. It was pretty, there was no doubt about that, but she wasn’t convinced it was anything to be upset about. She didn’t even have the urge to put it on.
A knock sounded on the door, startling Mia out of the slight trance the necklace seemed to have had her in. That was just odd, why was it affecting her like that? There was nothing magical about the necklace itself after all, just the box that it came in. Her Grandma had always been a little eccentric like that.
“Will you get that?” Bex asked, sounding a little nervous to Mia’s ears, but that was to be expected on her wedding day. Or apparently so. Mia didn’t think Bex should be nervous. She was a witch for Christ’s sake, she should know that she was marrying her one, not just guessing like she was with Robert.
“Yes,” she said, rising to her feet and making her way steadily to the door of the Bridal suite. Hopefully it would be Felix and he’d be delivering the other two boxes, putting her sister’s worries at ease. She swung the door open and her heart sank as she took in the tall blonde frame of Skyler standing on the other side. She tried to convince herself that she was happy to see him, but for some reason that just wasn’t happening and disappointment was the predominant emotion going through her.
“You look beautiful Mia,” he said in his low voice, and Mia caught an intrigued look from Faye who was sat across the room. She shook her head slightly, hoping that her sister would realise that meant it wasn’t Felix and that they didn’t have the necklaces yet, but the confused look said Faye didn’t quite get it.
“Thanks,” she muttered, still trying to muster up some excitement over the man she’d been lusting over for months. She caught herself. Since when had she thought about it as lusting after and not loving from afar? “What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I came to see if you need anything.” Mia glanced at her older sister who was almost shaking and made a split second decision.
“Vodka.”
“Sorry?”
“Can you get us some vodka please?” she asked, receiving only a perplexed nod in return. That wasn’t right. Felix would have made some wisecrack about how they shouldn’t be drinking before a formal event. Wait, no, that wasn’t right. How would she know what Felix would or wouldn’t do? She barely knew the man. Why was he even part of her thoughts anyway?
“Yes,” he said, giving Mia an awkward half wave as he walked away from the suite and down the corridor. Hopefully he’d be back soon, but if not, at least he was busy and not completely abandoned.
A firm grip closed around Mia’s wrist and she felt herself being dragged to the side of the room, finding a very confused looking Faye squaring off with her.
“Who was that Mia?”
“My date.”
“Felix?”
“No, Felix isn’t my date. That’s Skyler,” Mia answered quickly, but even so she found herself enjoying the way Felix’s name felt on her tongue. Like it fit there. Like he fit there. She shook her head to rid herself of thoughts like that, knowing they wouldn’t get her anywhere.
“You’ve never mentioned him before,” Faye prompted, putting a hand on her hip and giving Mia a spill-it-now look, just like the one their Mum used to give when she was angry with them.
“He’s my neighbour.” Mia shrugged. There wasn’t really anything else to say. It wasn’t like she could admit to Faye that she’d used a love potion on the man, her sister would never understand. She had no real reason to considering that she already knew who her mate was.
“And you brought him because...”
“I thought there was something there.”
“Did the necklace box open for you before today?” Faye asked, a thoughtful look on her face. Mia stared at her, shocked at the seemingly sudden change in direction.
“I don’t know, I never tried it.”
“Have you ever wanted to open if before today?”
Mia thought back, humouring her sister ever so slightly, but not knowing what the hell she was getting at. “No.”
“But you met Skyler before today?”
“Yes, we’ve lived next door to one another since I moved in.”
“Hmmm.”
“Whatever you’re thinking, you’re wrong,” Mia said defensively.
“You don’t even know what I’m thinking.”
“That the necklace means something. It probably doesn’t, Grandma probably just put a spell on it so that it would open on a certain date just to confuse us all. Maybe if we asked Grandad nicely, he’ll tell us when the other two open.” Mia took a breath, surprised at herself for saying what she had. She’d never thought things like that about her Grandma before. Then again, she’d never had a reason to. .
“If you believe that then I’m a tree climbing goat.”
“Like that’s a thing.” Mia snorted.
“It is, they live in Morocco and eat nuts out of trees, but that’s not the point. You don’t believe that about Grand
ma, I know you don’t, so just stop pretending already.” Faye gave her a stern look, and Mia kind of had to admit defeat. Her little sister could be terrifying at times.
“The alternative is accepting that Bex hasn’t met her mate yet,” Mia whispered hastily, hoping their older sister wasn’t paying any attention. “And that you and Reese aren’t meant for each other. Or that I met my other half at four,” she added. An odd look crossed Faye’s face as she considered.
“Me and Reese are complicated,” she said in a small voice that made Mia wonder if there was something more to her concern. She placed a consoling hand on top of Faye’s, hoping that it would convey what words couldn’t. “It’s fine we’re dealing with it.”
“If you want to talk—”
“I said it’s fine,” Faye snapped, before sighing. “I’m sorry, it’s just difficult at the moment. I know he’s it for me, but every time we get close to touching, even if it’s just holding hands, it feels so wrong we have to stop.”
“And he’s definitely it?”
Faye nodded instantly. “He’s it. It’s just weird. And I’m getting a bit tired of it all. I mean I’d quite like a first kiss at some point.” She looked so sad that Mia longed to give her a hug, but she couldn’t without raising Bex’s suspicion. She had enough to worry about today.
“I’m sorry Faye, if there’s anything I can do—”
“There isn’t. But thank you. Is that how you feel about your Skyler? Is he definitely it for you?” Mia took a mental step back. She hadn’t thought about it like that at all. She liked Skyler she supposed, but as the morning passed she’d realised she wasn’t thinking about much at all. Unlike a certain tall dark haired man. Nope, now was not the time to think about Felix. Not at all.
Witch's Potion (Thornheart Coven Book 1) Page 2
